Para Bellum
by Drake0042
Summary: **Uncompleted - currently canceled** Suddenly thrust back into the royal court, Lelouch must now plot a rebellion under the noses of the very people he plans to topple.
1. The End and the Beginning

((A/N – New version, designed to address some flow issues from the first and make its so that I don't have the sudden urge to gouge my eyes out….any way, the disclaimer – I do not own Code Geass – If I did, this wouldn't be here))

_Si vis pacem, para bellum _**– "**If you wish for peace, prepare for war"

-Ancient Roman Phrase

The Britannian soldier cut his way through the think jungle overgrowth of Kamine Island, cursing the entire time. One would think that the most powerful nation on the planet could provide its soldiers with a decent machete. He activated the radio in his mask, thankful that it also included a dehumidifier. "Avalon, this is Ursu-7. Grid c8 is clear, requesting permission to return to base."

High above the remote island, the massive airship Avalon hovered in place as if mocking the laws of physics. Presiding over it bridge was the toast of the Imperial Family, the Second Prince, Schneizel el Britannia. He tucked away a stray blonde hair as he turned to one of his officers. "What do you think, Sergeant? Should we call it a day?"

The Sergeant straightened slightly. "The light is fading, Your Highness. Even with our FLIR systems, our troop's progress would be slow. And there are other matters we need to be concerned about…"

"As I am well aware." Schneizel was about to order the withdraw, but something changed between thinking of the order and giving it. "Conduct one final sweep of the island; make sure we didn't miss anything." The Prince watched as the order was given out. All of the information they had gathered in their search for the third Princess had pointed them to here – a strange coincidence, considering what else resided on this little island. As the beacons marking the soldier's positions spread out, Schneizel settled back in his chair. He doubted the search would find anything.

He had no idea how wrong he was.

Ursu-7 cursed as the order came in to sweep the jungle again. It was wet, it was dark, and he was tired. The bugs were not helping, though for the life of him he could not figure out how they were getting through his armor. He trudged through the foliage, tripping over tree roots as he went because of his mask. The Facial mask included with his armor was a marvel of technology, with built in FLIR, Light enhancement, HUD and a full radio suite – to bad it got rid of his peripheral vision. He finally snapped after he walked straight into a tree his FLIR had decided to not warn him about. "Screw it!" The soldier tore off his helmet and tossed it at the tree, doing more damage to the tree then the helmet. "If the black knights are ever recruiting…" He pulled out a flashlight and began searching the area for his helmet. Command would not be happy if he lost a piece of equipment. He eventually found the helmet a few feet behind the tree – how it had gotten there, he wasn't sure – but it wasn't the helmet that interested him.

It was what the helmet was resting against.

Ursu-7 quickly pulled his helmet back on as he stared at the sight before him. Once his helmet was back on, he patched through to the Avalon. "Base, this is Ursu-7. I've located the Princess, but…"

"But what, Private?" His CO asked over the radio.

"She's with somebody." The Soldier replied. The figure next to her looked familiar for some reason, but he just couldn't place it. "Requesting permission to send video feed."

"Permission granted."

The Soldier quickly activated the camera mounted to the side of his helmet before adjusting his flashlight to better illuminate the stranger. "Smile for the camera."

Back aboard the Avalon, Schneizel stared at the screen in shock. "Double-check the feed, check for distortion."

"The feed is clean, Sir." The Communications officer replied. "The image is accurate."

"Very well." Schneizel recomposed himself. "Order the Soldier to bring both of them back here immediately."

"Your Highness, Ursu-12 just found Major Kururugi" Reported the Sergeant. "He appears to be with a civilian."

"Bring them here as well." Schneizel ordered. This day just got very interesting.

*-*-*

Lelouch was awoken by the rough shaking of his frame only a tired foot soldier could produce. The bright light in his face didn't help. "Who's there?"

"Your fairy god mother" A voice replied sarcastically. "Now get up."

As Lelouch's eyes finally adjusted to the bright light, he blanched. A Britannian soldier was staring back at him. It took a few moments for him to get over the initial panic – his helmet was nowhere to be found, having disappeared sometime during the crash. He looked like, to most observers, another Britannian citizen. The cape ensemble was a little conspicuous, but not unexplainable. He had little choice but to obey. "Very well." As Lelouch rose to his feet, his sister began to stir.

"Lelouch?" Euphemia rubbed her eyes, the sudden commotion overriding her body's desire to rest. She awoke much quicker when she saw the soldier.

"Your Highness, I've been ordered to bring you and your…" Ursu-7 glanced towards Lelouch. "friend to the Avalon. Prince Schneizel is waiting." He extended a hand to the Princess. "We should get going."

Euphemia accepted the outstretched hand, rising to her feet before the trio set of through the forest. The Soldier took the lead, leaving Euphie and Lelouch free to discuss this new development. "So, what does this mean for your plans?"

"I wish I knew." Lelouch struggled to keep the flashlight on the soldier as they stumbled through the overgrowth. "Though I have to wonder where the others are."

"Others?" Euphemia asked as He helped her over another fallen tree.

"Suzaku was at the blast, as was one of my own." Lelouch explained. "They should no doubt be on this island as well." Their trek finally came to a close as the reached the shoreline, where a small military post had been established around the massive ramp leading off of the airships cargo bay. At its top were already two figures, each one in what looked like a Knightmare pilot Uniform. "Ah, Kallen!"

The redhead turned around to see Lelouch coming up the ramp towards her, Euphemia trialing behind him. "Lelouch?" She stared at him in surprise. Why the hell was he here?

"You know this girl?" The man asked the pair. He had been about to start asking questions before this boy had shown up.

"She was with me on my boat before the storm hit." Lelouch explained, even as Kallen stared at him like he had suddenly sprouted wings and a beak. There was no reason he should be helping her like this. Lelouch continued his story all the same. "This area can have such unpredictable weather – Shame the boat sank, it was such a nice craft. It seems that your usual clothes suffered a similar fate, Kallen, if you were forced to switch into something like that."

"Yes…well…I…Uh…" Kallen stared at Lelouch, unsure of what to say.

"Suzaku!" The awkward silence was broken as Euphemia finally made it to the top, rushing towards her Knight. Unfortunately, a dress such as Euphemia's was ill suited for running, and very soon the pink gown betrayed her footing.

"Your Highness!" Suzaku quickly caught his charge as she fell forward. Suzaku bowed as she regained her footing. "I am glad to see you are alright, your highness." He glanced towards her companion. "May I ask why he is with you?"

"I would like to know as well." Everyone turned around to see the Second Prince approaching. Everyone not royalty quickly bowed as he took a clipboard from one of the men. "So, how is it that the Third Princess, her Knight, and a school girl in a Black Knight uniform all end up on the same island as one of my long-thought dead siblings?" Schneizel paused for a moment. "And why is the school girl tied up?"

"I had reason to believe she was a Black Knight." Suzaku replied, ignoring one soldier's remark about 'strange Elevens' fetishes'. "When I found her, she had a Black Knight uniform."

"What else was I supposed to wear?" Kallen replied. "When I washed ashore, my clothes were trashed. I was lucky to find anything." The lie rolled of her tongue fluidly. She had lived a double life long enough to know how to say tem well.

"That's not what I saw" Suzaku's rebuttal was cut of by the blonde prince.

"I'm sure we can sort out our stories once we are comfortably inside." Schneizel walked up to Lelouch. "Your story should be most interesting, my brother." With a flourish, Schneizel headed back into the ship, giving orders to prepare the infirmary, state rooms, and to contact the Viceroy. Lelouch grinned.

"I assure you that you will not be disappointed." Lelouch and the others followed the Prince onto the airship, its massive halls containing opulent bedrooms, entertainment facilities, and countless conference and command systems. Nothing less was expected when dealing with the 'White Prince'. They were led into one of the larger conference rooms, with one wall dominated by a massive flat screen, the other by floor to wall windows.

Schneizel steepled his fingers as he looked over the group before him after taking the head seat. "Let us first finish what we started outside. Miss…" He quickly consulted to file in front of him. "Stadtfeld was found in a Black Knight uniform, supposedly because her actual clothing had been lost, correct?" All he could get out of her was a nod, Kallen having already gone back into 'Shrinking Violet' mode. "Where exactly did you find those clothes?"

"Well, when I first woke up, my clothes were completely destroyed. It was windy, so I started looking for some shelter. I found one of those Black Knights bathing at a waterfall, so I took her clothes." She gave an involuntary shutter. "I don't know what I would have done if she had seen me."

"Well, you're safe now." Schneizel turned to Suzaku. "Major Kururugi, the report you gave to my Officer says that you found Miss Stadtfeld at a waterfall, and that she attacked you."

"I had headed back to the waterfall after a while, and the Black Knight was gone. I thought I would be better off near some water..." Kallen explained. "When he showed up, I thought he might have been one of the Black Knights. So I attacked him."

Schneizel arched an eyebrow. "With a hidden pocket knife?"

"It hade been with the Black Knight woman's things, and I thought it might have been useful." Kallen watched Schneizel for a moment, trying to gauge his reaction. She let out her held breath as he turned to Suzaku.

"Do you have anything to add, Major Kururugi?" Suzaku was about to explain in great detail the conversation he and Kallen had had about Zero, but something stopped him. Across the table from him, Euphemia simply stared at him. Her look was one he had scene before – before he had been the pilot of the Lancelot, when he had been a simple private, his unit was often tasked with clearing the ghettos. Every time, he would find what they had bent sent to flush out – rebels, hiding inside the decrepit buildings. Every time, they would beg him to not expose them, beg him to keep quite. The look they gave was on Euphemia's face as she stared at him across the table.

She wanted him to stay quiet.

"No, nothing to add, Your Highness." Euphemia seemed to relax at his reply, her hand finding its way to that of her long thought dead brother. Suzaku redirected his attention back to the second Prince. "Will that be all?"

"Unfortunately, no." The Prince pulled out a small data card from his folder. "This is a recording of audio from the Shikinejima incident the other day. It provides clear evidence of your insubordination. Do you have an explanation for this?"

Suzaku's shoulders dropped slightly. "No. The last thing I remember before waking up on the island is facing off with Zero." It still unnerved him. He had had him within his grasps! How could he have escaped?

"Perhaps one of Zero's infamous ploys?" Lelouch proposed. "He has pulled off several impressive feats before; I would not put something like this above him." Schneizel considered to theory for a moment.

"Possible." The Prince put the card back into the folder before standing. "None the less, an investigation will have to be carried out."

"Suzaku is my Knight!" Euphemia was now on her feet. "I have no doubt that his actions were for my sake."

"As true as that might be, dear sister, the Military insists. I will clear this matter if I must, but for now we should leave them be." Schneizel walked towards his younger brother. "Lelouch…"

Lelouch was caught off guard as Schneizel embraced him. "It has been to long, Brother. We all thought you were killed in the war. To find you alive is a miracle." Lelouch was stunned. Was he being played? Was this some sort of sick plan by his brother? Or was he actually being sincere? For now, Lelouch decided, it did not matter. This early in the game, he could not try anything without tipping his hand. "How did you stay alive?"

"The Ashford's helped in that regard." Lelouch separated himself from his brother, walking over to the other end of the table to get a glass of water. "The trick was surviving the war itself. Having been a political hostage, you can understand the risk I was in if the Former Japanese Government found me. Besides, I couldn't just walk into the Government building and announce myself – I am, technically, exiled."

"Exiled, yes." Schneizel replied. "If I recall, you also renounced your right to the throne." Schneizel smiled. "You were not, however, disinherited. You are still royalty." The Prince turned to his Assistant. "Kanon, Contact the press, let the news spread – Lelouch Vi Britannia lives!"

And spread the news did – word had reached Pendragon in a matter of hours, the news catching wind of it not long after that. There was one party, however, that received the news far ahead of schedule.

Cornelia was posed over a command console, looking over information from the search for her sister, when the message came. She stared at the deceptively brief memo in shock: "_Euphemia located. Lelouch found Alive at Kamine. Nunnally at Ashford - Schneizel_." She didn't know what to think. She didn't believe it – she couldn't believe it. Not until she saw for herself.

"Gilford!" The bespectacled Knight stood at attention as his Mistress turned to face him. "Prepare my transport."

Back aboard the Avalon, everyone had been bustled off to the infirmary once it was concluded that none were consorting with the enemy. That, however, did not end the questioning.

"So, Lelouch," Schneizel had seated himself on a gurney as a nurse gave Lelouch a brief physical. "I must ask, why were you boating down here?"

"Well," Lelouch paused as what looked suspiciously like a Popsicle stick was shoved into his mouth as the nurse examined his throat briefly before being removed. "You know how it is – sail a little to the west, get caught in the Kuroshiro current, the next thing you know you're stuck in a storm south of Shikinejima." Lelouch glanced off to the side, where his sister and Kallen had just been obscured by a privacy screen. To his other side was Suzaku, who had apparently obtained a sprained ankle at some point in their little escapade. "Though I have to wonder why you would be on an island this remote. Something to do with Zero, If I recall."

"Indeed" Schneizel shifted slightly. "We had him cornered on Shikinejima, but he somehow managed to escape."

Lelouch arched an eyebrow. "And you think he traveled the 20-some odd miles to here over open ocean, with no transport, in a matter of minutes?" Lelouch smirked as a biosensor was attached to his finger. "Zero's more impressive then I thought."

Schneizel did not seem amused by the comment, however. "If we are lucky, he was killed in the blast. However, I doubt we were that fortunate."

"He does seem to be quite resilient." Lelouch removed the biosensor from his hand, and descended from the gurney. "So, I assume we will be continuing your search for the caped vigilante?"

"Its funny you should mention that." Schneizel rose from his seat as the others finished their exams. "There's something I'd like to show you." He turned to the others. "You can come as well, if you would like."

Kallen paused as she exited from behind the curtain, now dressed in a Basic Britannian uniform the Medical crew had loaned her. "Depends on what's being shown."

"Ancient ruins of a sort." Schneizel replied. "I believe an image will be more prudent in this case. If you decide not to follow, one of the attendants will show you to your accommodations." With that, The Second Prince left, leaving the others to choice whether they follow or not.

Schneizel had that same relaxed smile he almost always displayed as Lelouch walked onto the Bridge. "Glad to see you decided to come, Lelouch." He paused as the others walked onto the bridge as well. "All curious, are we?"

"Let us hope that our curiosity is not misaimed." Lelouch replied as he looked out the window. He was surprised to find that the airship was actually moving, albeit very slowly. The onboard dampeners made the craft surprisingly stable. "I take it that we are approaching the ruins?"

"Yes." Schneizel turned to one of the bridge officers, who brought up a map on the main screen. "Prince Clovis seemed to have been the first to locate them – probably the reason why he claimed it when he first arrived." The map was replaced with an external image of a cliff face, a single large crack descending its rock face. "The ruins themselves don't resemble any documented civilization, and seem to predate anything of similar technological level. It really is quite fascinating."

"What do you plan on learning from these ruins, exactly?" Lelouch eyed the ruins wearily. The sigil across its front façade was just a little too familiar. "With no prior references, research would take years, if not decades."

"That is why I brought the Gawain." The image of the ruins vanished, facilitating a full view of the camp. Stationed in its center was a massive Knightmare Frame, Gold Protrusions accenting its shoulders and red pines emanating from its back. "Its onboard data systems should make short work of any data we find."

Lelouch studied the Frame. "Interesting design – Prototype?" Lelouch was unsurprised when Schneizel confirmed. "Must be fairly heavily armored, based of its size. Weapon systems?"

"Shoulder mounted Hadron cannons." Schneizel replied as calmly as one would give the time of day. "They aren't fully functional at the moment though. Its float and Druid system work perfectly, however."

"Interesting" Before the tour could progress any further, Schneizel's phone began to ring. Lelouch was surprised – his phone hadn't gotten any connection. "Connected into the ships communication system?"

"yes," Schneizel replied tersely. "Now, if you will excuse me…" The next few minutes consisted of Schneizel speaking on his phone, His voice low. After a few words were exchanged, he hung up and turned to the assembled group. "I'm afraid that I cannot show you anything else. My assistants will show you to your rooms for tonight." With that, the group was ushered out of the bridge. Lelouch managed a final glance over his shoulder as the bridge doors slid shut, seeing his brother engaged in a video conference with a pair of generals.

The rooms they were shown to were as luxurious as the rest of the ship – hand-crafted wood furniture, silk draperies and museum quality art pieces decorated the warmly lit room, giving it a far more subdued atmosphere then several of the more extravagantly decorated abodes that seemed epidemic of Britannian royalty. The room across from his was given to Euphemia, while the room next to his had gone to Suzaku. Kallen was next door to his sister.

Lelouch's investigation of the room was suddenly interrupted when a door next to the closet suddenly opened. Out of it, dressed in a robe and drying her hair with a towel, emerged a young, green haired woman. "C.C.?"

"Quite the accommodations." She replied casually as she sat down on the bed. "I'm surprised you ever gave up the royal lifestyle."

"How did you get here!?!" Lelouch asked in surprise. The witch had way with sneaking about – he had seen it often enough – but this was impressive, even for her.

"You came, I followed." Was her cryptic reply. "The Ikaruga is 5 kilometers of the coast." Lelouch mulled this over for a moment. The Black Knights flagship submarine, this close to A Britannian airship that was commanded by Schneizel?

"Tell them to move out another 5 kilometers." Lelouch ordered as he paced the room. "Tell them to keep an eye on this island." He paused for a moment to stare out the panoramic window his room possessed. "Passive only." He turned to face the witch. "How did you-" He stopped.

She was gone.

Lelouch let out a sigh before heading toward the bathroom. He could use a shower – it had been a long day.

He was awoken the next day by one of the ships many assistants, who told him he had been summoned to Schneizel's private lounge. Lelouch groggily accepted the message, and sent the young woman off before he got dressed. His clothes from the other day were gone, replaced with a fresh set of clothing. Lelouch thought about why he might have been summoned at such an hour. His guess was that somebody from the mainland had shown up – but who?

His question was answered when he stepped on to the lounge and saw who was talking to Schneizel and his younger sister. Sitting at the table, White cape billowed out behind her, was none other then the Chief General of the Imperial Army, the conqueror of area 18, Cornelia Li Britannia.

Everyone looked up as the doors slid shut behind him with an audible click. Cornelia froze as her sight fell upon Lelouch. "My god…" She rose from her seat and slowly approached, as if he might simply vanish if she moved to suddenly. She stood there, speechless. What was one to say, when they are suddenly given back a brother they had long ago assumed dead?

"Cornelia," Lelouch bowed. "It is good to see you again." Lelouch was surprised when he felt her hand on his shoulder force him up from his bow.

"You have no reason to bow," Cornelia's voice was tinged with the emotion she felt, even as she tried to hold face. "Not after all you have survived."

The reunion was interrupted as a messenger burst into the room. "Urgent news from the mainland!"

"Can it wait?" Schneizel asked calmly. "We are currently in the middle of something."

"All major connections to Kyushu have been cut!" The messenger replied. "The island is being invaded!"

"Is it the Chinese federation?" Cornelia asked, her mind quickly shifting to the business at hand.

"No," The messenger explained, an expression of confusion briefly crossing his face. "The ships bear the Japanese flag!"

"The Japanese?" Cornelia turned to Schneizel. "How quickly can we be there?"

"A matter of hours." Schneizel replied. "But we have several non-combatants on board. We will have to stop at the settlement."

"Schneizel," Lelouch spoke up. "You currently have onboard this vessel – a state of the art warship - an ace Knightmare Pilot, the only person who has ever come close to matching you mentally, and one of the greatest military leaders in the history of the Empire." Lelouch paused to let this information sink in. "Contact the settlement; tell them to send some military assets to rendezvous with us in route."

Schneizel grinned before turning to an assistant, as if satisfied with the reply. "Make the calls. Get us in the air." The assistant nodded and headed off, and Lelouch soon followed suit. "Where are you going?"

"There are some calls I need to make." Lelouch paused at the doorway as he watched Kallen walking down the hall. "I' m afraid I've forgotten the academies number – Kallen, could you come with me?" Kallen, caught off guard, followed the young prince, dumbfounded. He led her to his room, where C.C. was once again waiting. As soon as he made sure nobody was earshot, he grabbed her by the shoulder, suddenly serious. "Go with C.C. – make contact with the Ikaruga. Tell them about the invasion. I'll cover for you."

Kallen was caught off-guard for the second time in as many minutes. "How do you…"

"No time to explain!" Lelouch cut her off. "Just go!" He quickly turned to C.C., gears churning in his head. "I need you to steal something…"


	2. Kyushu Under Siege

"_The Modern Knightmare Frame is the epitome of high-speed firepower. Agile, easily transported and highly mobile, the Knightmare Frame is able to quickly outmaneuver most other armored combat systems in existence. However it is lightly armored and usually lacks Long-range firepower. Despite what the evening news would tell you, the Knightmare Frame does not operate in a vacuum. This is part of the reason the Britannian Military is the dominant force on the planet – it can quickly bring in the support its frontline units need to survive." – William Atwater, Britannian Royal Military Academy. "The Army of an Empire – A History of the Britannian Armed Forces" Tachyon Press, 2018 _

The clothing was of fine quality, though nothing extravagant. The cloak, though worn, was in good condition – a sign of its craftsmanship. The outfit itself was wholly unremarkable – such outfits were common among the elite, though this particular style had fallen out of favor among people in the last few years.

Except for one.

Schneizel didn't even bother to look up from the table as his assistant entered the office. "What is it, Kanon?"

"Zero is inside the airship!"

The White Prince slowly turned to face the aide. He was breathing heavily, having apparently run all the way here from the bridge. After ordering the route to Shikoku, Schneizel had excused himself, leaving his sister to make the military preparations. Zero showing up, however… "Impossible."

"He's currently cornered on level 5 outside the guest quarters, but…"

"But what?"

"He's taken a hostage."

"Who?" Kanon's answer caught him off guard. _Clever_ "Show me."

In minutes they pair had made their way down the three levels to the Guest quarters. The hallway was choked with security personnel, Suzaku keeping his charge at bay despite her attempt to get by. At the other end of the hall, just past Lelouch's room, stood Zero in all his caped glory, a pistol pressed against a captive Kallen's head. In the middle stood Lelouch, apparently trying to negotiate. Schneizel's expression darkened. _Very clever._

Lelouch took a step toward the masked vigilante. "Come on – surely we can reach some sort of compromise?" Lelouch's eyes darted from zero to the redhead for a moment, fear flashing across his face. "You don't want to hurt her."

"Correction," Zero backed up another step, bumping into the pane of glass at the end of the hall. "You do not want her hurt; which is why I will now be leaving." He cocked the pistol before pointing behind him and firing. The glass exploded into a thousand fragments, the wind pulling them off into the distance as it grabbed at Zero's cape. Without another word, Zero simply stepped backwards, dropping through the new escape route.

The Guards rushed forward in an instant, most of them peering over the edge to see the black-clad figure heading off towards the now almost abandoned dig site. Lelouch looked up from the edge towards his brother. "What's over there currently?"

"A handful of technicians and even fewer guards," Schneizel replied before pausing, a look of realization crossing his face. "And the Gawain." Schneizel cursed. It had been left at the dig site to help continue the data analysis. "After him!" as the guards rushed past, the prince turned to Suzaku. "You as well."

"But…"

"I'll take care of Euphemia." Lelouch volunteered. "Go save Kallen." He hesitated for a moment, but Finally Suzaku nodded and headed off after the other guards, Schneizel following soon after. Once they were out of earshot, Lelouch swung at the wall, his hand taking more damage then the surface. "Dammit" Lelouch began to pace the hall. "This is going too well."

"I don't understand." Euphemia looked toward the now destroyed window. "I thought you were…"

"I am." Lelouch replied. "But I needed to get Kallen out without blowing her cover."

"But who was…"

"An associate." Lelouch explained. "But this shouldn't have worked."

"Why not?"

"Because Schneizel is not a fool." Lelouch replied, mind churning Schneizel should have suspected more. Even if you gave them the possibility that they had simply assumed that there backgrounds were sound, their attire should have been a give way, along with their very presence. But instead he had simply let him walk in, unquestioned. "Is it a trap?" Lelouch thought out loud. "Why hasn't he detained Kallen or me?"

"Maybe he's cornered." Lelouch turned around to see Euphemia by one of the doorways. She continued to talk as she slowly moved closer. "Even if he suspected something, he really doesn't have any proof, does he? With the rest of the family celebrating…"

"He'd never get them to listen." Lelouch finished. Slowly, he grinned. Perhaps fate was giving him a pass this time. Lelouch then took a quick look at his watch. "Looks like I'm up." He quickly headed down the hall toward the elevator, but paused for a moment in front of it. "Euphemia – go to the bridge, you should be safe with your sister." with that, he left.

Lelouch took the lift down to the now open cargo bay, where various vehicles had been left out in the scramble to head after Zero. Lelouch combed the bay for a vehicle – he needed something fast….

Lelouch stopped as he came across just what he was looking for. Despite himself, a grin crept across his face.

"Do you hear something?" A guard at the base of the ramp asked his opposite as they both stood there in the late night air. Off in the distance, storm clouds brewed – apparently they were interfering with the response to the Chinese attack.

The other guard shrugged. "I don't here anything."

"I'm telling you, I hear something!" The first guard insisted. "And I think it's getting louder." The guard cocked his head sideways, as if trying to hear it better. "Actually, its sounds like…"

The two guards had no time to respond as the ATV roared past them and could only watch, bewildered, as it sped off. One of the guards removed his helmet and checked its optics. He could have sworn that it looked like a school-kid was driving that thing. "Command, this is the Cargo bay. Somebody just took one of our ATV's without authorization. Over."

Up on the bridge, Cornelia was caught off guard by the message. "Who the hell is it?"

"Its Lelouch!" Cornelia spun around to see her sister standing in the Bridges entryway. "He's going after Zero!"

"What!?" Cornelia turned to one of the bridge officers. "Activate the vehicle tracking systems! I want a fix on his location." She turned back to Euphemia. "Did he happen to tell you why he was going after Zero?"

"Something about Zero's real target." Euphemia replied as a large map of the island appeared on the Bridges main screen. A series of triangles were moving across the island, but one was far ahead of the rest. "Is that him?"

"By god, he's already reached the base perimeter." Cornelia cursed. The boy was either a fool or had one hell of a plan. "Change Course, Begin plotting an intercept path."

Across the island, Zero made his way through the base, prisoner in tow.

Or so it seemed. Kallen sighed as another small contingent of guards ran past their hiding place. "You sure you're heading the right way?"

"Positive." C.C. replied, he voice distorted by the mask. "No be quiet or you'll get us killed." Before Kallen could respond, she was pulled out from their enclave and dragged toward the hanger, still looking to the entire world like a prisoner. The Hanger itself was abandoned, all the guards called to the perimeter. The sole figure in the massive building was the Gawain, alone and unguarded. "See?"

"Yeah, yeah." Kallen replied dismissively as she climbed up the scaffolding to the cockpit. "Would you look at that –a two seater. Hurry up before they get back." Within moments both were inside the Frame, Kallen powering up the systems as C.C. removed her mask.

"You sure you can pilot this thing?" the Immortal asked, typing away idly at the keyboard. "Hmm… Looks like The blonde was telling the truth – weapon systems offline. The Float system seems fully functional though."

"Float system or not, the controls look fairly standard." Kallen replied. "Lets get the hell out of here."

"Agreed." C.C. replied calmly. "We have a meeting to attend." With a rumble, the Gawain lifted off the ground, bowling over a pair off guards as it speed out of the hanger. Waiting for them outside was a young Academy student, and ATV parked behind him.

"Zero!" Lelouch yelled. "I order you to halt at once!"

A small grin crept across C.C.'s face. "Still putting on the charade, I see. Grab him and head for the Ikaruga."

The Security detail from the Avalon arrived in time to watch the Pilfered Frame fly off toward the sea, Prince Lelouch securely in its grasps. One of the Guards contacted the Airship. "Your Highness, Zero's taken the Knightmare Frame and captured Lelouch."

"The Fool!" Cornelia cursed. He practically handed himself over to Zero! "What are you waiting for? Plot an intercept!" As the Avalon's crew began to change course, Cornelia could only watch as her brother flew farther and farther away.

Aboard the Avalon, The cockpit seal shut again as Lelouch climbed inside. "Any word from the Ikaruga?"

"Waiting until we picked you up to call them." C.C. replied as she handed Lelouch his mask.

"Who the hell names a submarine the Ikaruga?" Kallen asked as C.C. moved into the Pilots seat with her.

"Ask Tamaki." Lelouch replied as he donned the mask. Why they had chosen the name by raffle, he wasn't sure. After adjusting the Frames communication systems, he patched himself into the Submarines primary communications network. "Good Evening."

Aboard the Ikaruga, the crew quickly saluted their commander as Todoh stepped forward. "It's good to see you intact, sir."

"Thank you. I take it you are all aware of the Chinese Federation attack on Kyushu?" Zero asked. A quick confirmation allowed him to continue. "Good. Then I can tell you the plan. We shall assist the Britannians in pushing back the Chinese."

The crew made several confused exclamations. "But sir," Todoh asked. "Would it not be better to join the Chinese in assisting the Exiled Japanese Government?"

"They ceased being your government the day your country fell." Zero replied. "Now they are nothing more then a justification for the Chinese to make a land grab. Do not begin to think that the Chinese sympathize with our plight. They would just as quickly use us as The Britannians."

"Then why help Britannia?"

"A Matter of logistics." Zero replied. "If we help the Chinese, then not only would we have to move more assets into the Chinese federation for intelligence purposes, but our profile within the Britannian Government would increase. They would descend on us with a force we could never survive. However, if we assist the Britannians, then we not only maintain the status quo, we might tip it in out favor. Having assisted them, some might begin to second-guess how much of a threat we really are. Understand?"

"What is the plan then, sir?" Todoh asked.

"Rendezvous with Kallen and C.C. at Extraction point R-3. You are then to locate the Gap in the Britannian Naval patrols that the Chinese moved through. Slip through it and deploy our forces onto the island."

"Is that all, Sir?" Todoh asked.

"One more thing…." After a few minutes, Lelouch cut off the connection before handing the mask back to C.C. "Just one part left."

Lelouch opened the hatch and climbed out, the now masked C.C. following behind him. The Frame was now well out to sea, the water rushing by below them. Tailing them was the unmistakable form of the Avalon. "Let's hope they can see this." Lelouch slowly made his way to his feet atop the Frame before turning to C.C. "Make it look good."

"What the hell?" Cornelia thought out load as she watched the scene unfold before her. A few minutes ago, they had watched Lelouch climb out of the Knightmare Frame. Now she watching as he went toe-to-toe with Zero while standing atop the Frame, the ocean speeding by below them. It was like a scene from a cheap action movie.

Most of the bridge crew was also watching the fight, cheering every time they thought Lelouch managed to get a hit in. 'thought' being the primary word – even with their sensors, at this range the image was grainy. Despite the poor quality, most could tell that the Prince was on the losing side of the fight. A rather spectacular looking roundhouse kick finally sent him flying into the water. Cornelia watched in horror as he plunged into the ocean. "Pick him up NOW!"

Working with speed only the fear of death could instill, the Avalon soon made its way to where the Prince had fallen. They found him there, floating atop the surface, dazed from the impact.

The plan was well planned, considering he had come up with it in about 30 seconds. It seemed to Lelouch that he had only forgotten to consider one thing – the Frame's speed. While it had been less the a dozen feet off the ground, it had been moving along at a considerable pace – which translated into an awful lot of force when he impacted the water. He was lucky only his back hurt. Lelouch came out of his daze as he was pulled into the Avalon's cargo bay, several of the crew patting him on the back as they complemented his performance.

"Hell of a show, your highness!"

"Almost had him, didn't ya?"

"…On top of a Frame to boot!"

"What's going on here?" The chatter ceased in an instant as the crew cleared a path for Cornelia. With measured steps, she walked toward her brother, his clothes still dripping with water. She stopped in front of him while he still sat on the Bay floor, occasionally coughing up some water. "Might I ask what you were thinking?"

"I thought I could trade myself for Kallen." Lelouch replied between coughs as the crew gathered around to watch. "I figured he was trying to get to me."

Cornelia continued to glare at her brother. "Trade yourself? That seemed like good idea?"

"It seemed like one at the time." Lelouch answered.

"Lelouch!" Crewmembers were pushed aside as Euphemia made her way to her brother. "Are you alright?"

Lelouch slowly got to his feet, Euphemia helping him up. "Yeah, I'm fine. Wet, but fine." Both of her siblings turned to Cornelia, Who simply sighed. "Get him into some dry clothes before he catches hypothermia." She turned around and headed back toward the bridge as an Officer handed her a datapad. "Are all of our forces back onboard? Good. Plot a route for the Kyushu. And tell Schneizel I need him on the Bridge."

As the crew cleared out, Euphemia helped her brother toward the medical bay. "Did your plan work?"

Lelouch grinned. "Flawlessly."

A hour later, Lelouch walked onto the bridge where he found Cornelia and Schneizel standing over a command console. Known as a Electronic Command Information System, or ECIS, it was usually referred to by its nickname – the 'Chessboard'. Integrating satellite feeds, Unit Factsphere readings, and GPS positioning, it gave Britannian commanders immediate access to a wealth of information and allowed for unprecedented Command and Control. At the moment, however, it seemed to only be giving Cornelia a headache. "Need some help?"

Cornelia turned around to see her brother. "Perhaps. A storm is cutting us off from Kyushu. We can't get any forces in for the next 12 hours by the looks of it." One the Console, a series of red dashes surrounded Kyushu, indicating the rough seas that were now acting as a barrier for the Chinese to hide behind.

Lelouch studied the map for a moment. "What about aerial insertion?"

"The storm's causing too much turbulence." Schneizel replied. "A Transport VTOL would get tossed around like a leaf."

Lelouch zoomed the map out, trying to see what assets were in the area. Several Carriers were to the East, and Avalon was currently making its way west toward the island. It was then that Lelouch noticed something. "What's this?" He zoomed the map in onto Western end of Shikoku, where a single Unit was stationed. "What's a PAI?"

"Panzer Air Infantry." Cornelia explained. "It's a Unit of Airdropped Knightmare Frames. Designed to be inserted behind enemy lines"

"Do they use the VTOL?" Lelouch asked, already formulating a plan.

"No." Cornelia replied, pulling up the specifications on some sort of massive aircraft. "They're too vulnerable Anti-air fire." She scanned over the specifications. "Contact Matsuyama – tell them to mobilize."

One of the Reasons for the dominance of the Britannian Empire was its ability to construct weapon systems outside the reach of other nations. One case in point would be the C-77 Apollo. Designed to carry a little over a hundred tons, it filled two purposes. One was as Britannia's primary heavy lift aircraft. The Second was as a Frame Insertion Aircraft. Its massive cargo capacity allowed it to carry up to Twelve Sutherlands and drop them behind enemy lines. Designed to take off from improvised runways, it had a surprisingly low stall speed. This opened up for a third role. By cutting several holes in the side and sticking large guns in them, you had yourself one of the largest gunships on the planet. Thus was the concept behind the AC-77 Zeus. Fitted with a pair of 120 mm cannons, several 105 mm Howitzers, and a quartet of 20mm Gatling Cannons, the Zeus bordered on the ridiculous. Two such aircraft were now escorting an Apollo out of Matsuyama Base and toward Kyushu. Onboard, twelve Britannian Marines were getting ready to drop into enemy lines.

"Alright, you know the plan!" The commander yelled over the radio, trying to talk over the sound of the Plane's engines. "We are make are way into Fukuoka base and clear out a zone for the landing forces. Understood?" A string of affirmatives replied as the planes back doors opened. "Alright then – let's teach these bastards a lesson!" Out of the back of the plane, a dozen Sutherlands fell out, dropping toward the earth from over 10,000 feet. Within moments the reached terminal velocity. However, these were not normal Sutherlands. Seconds from impact, retrorockets on their back activating, slowing their decent until the impact was manageable. They group dropped to the ground with a resounding thud that echoed through the trees around them. After landing, the retrorockets were ejected from their backs, now nothing but dead weight. The commander quickly brought up a map. "Target's five clicks to the north. Move out!"

With surprising stealth, the Air Infantry made their way toward the base, silently eliminating a pair of patrols along the way. The enemy had caught on, however, and once they reached the base proper, they were light up like Christmas trees. "Covers blown – Going loud." The team blasted their way through the outer wall, only to be met by a massive onslaught of firepower from enemy Gun-Ru's. "Get to cover!" The Marines slowly blasted their way through the lightly armored Chinese Mechs toward what looked like a fortified bunker. "Overlord, this is Ground team – calling in ground strike on Coordinates R3-Z7, Killbox Alpha six, Over.

5,000 feet overhead, one of the Zeus's entered into a Pylon Turn over the designated coordinates while the other peeled off to clear out the beach. "Ground team, this is Overlord, beginning run." Three seconds later, 50 foot by 500 foot section of the base turned into hell on earth. The Zeus's guns spewed lead as fast as its coil guns could recharge, Gatling guns rotating through capacitors and the smell of ozone filled the air as electricity arced inside the bofors railgun. Within thirty seconds, everything inside the box was dead. Before the Chinese could regroup, the Marines made their way to the bunker, taking cover inside it.

"Avalon, this is Ground Team. Taking heavy fire inside the base, Looks like we'll need some more time."

Aboard the Avalon, Cornelia watched the team's movements. "Understood. Hold position until back-up arrives."

"Well, that could have gone better." Schneizel commented as he watched the Gunships circle on the map.

"On the contrary, I think it went quite well." Lelouch commented. "We've undermined their confidence. Any advantage they thought the storm gave them has evaporated."

"Unfortunately, it also means they'll start fortifying instead of spreading themselves out." Cornelia replied.

"At least we'll have more room to work." Schneizel said with a shrug. "No matter – A full Marine Battalion will land on the island in the next eight hours. This will all be settled by dinner tomorrow." With a dismissive wave, Schneizel excused himself from the bridge, leaving Cornelia and Lelouch alone at the Command Console.

"Do you think he's right?" Lelouch asked his sister. "That this will all be over so soon?"

"That Secretary Sawasaki is the lynchpin." Cornelia replied. "He's the only reason why the Chinese aren't being invaded as we speak."

"Do you think the Black Knights are involved?" Lelouch asked, carefully trying to sound only moderately interested in the answer.

"No." Cornelia replied as she inspected the Console. "This doesn't have Zero's style. Besides, he was busy breaking into here." She paused for a moment. "I wonder how He'll respond to this."

"No doubts wait for the opportune moment to act." Lelouch mused. "Has the media gotten wind of this?"

"Not yet." Cornelia replied. "Not even they have ears out here."

"Well then, best make sure that they know it's a Chinese Invasion." Lelouch began to make his way off the bridge. "The last thing we would need is the Japanese thinking Zero's behind it and trying to help." Once safely in the hallway, Lelouch pulled out his phone. "This is Zero, You remember the recording from earlier? Good. Broadcast it. Civilian and Military channels." He hung up his phone, and a minute later he could here his voice from inside the Bridge. Taking a moment, he put on a look of proper confusion as he re-entered the bridge. "What's going on?"

"Zero's making a broadcast!" A bridge operator replied. On the main screen, Zero's masked persona dominated the view.

"People of Britannia!" He announced. "And People of Japan. As I speak, The Chinese federation is moving to take over the island of Kyushu. The Black Knights will not allow another Conqueror to take over this land. We will fight the puppet Sawasaki and the Chinese Forces that are pulling his strings. We will stop their assault and throw them back into the sea! If The Britannians share this goal, then so be it. People of Japan, do not be fooled by the puppets message, any more then you can believe the Britannians! So let him come, and watch as the Black Knights turn his forces to ruins!"

The Broadcast ended as abruptly as it began, replaced with a map of Kyushu. However, something was off with this one. After a moment, Cornelia realized what was going on. "He's broadcasting his position!" Sure enough, off the coast of Fukuoka was a small blue triangle marked 'BN-1'. Out of it emerged a series smaller triangles, collective marked 'D-0'.

"This is Black Knights Special Operations Division 0," A voice announced over the radio. "Requesting clearance."

"Avalon, this is Overlord, How should we proceed?" The Gunship requested as Cornelia stared at the screen in shock.

"Well, they do have forces on the ground." Lelouch commented. "And they seem willing to cooperate."

"Dammit!" Cornelia cursed before activating the com. "Clearance Granted. Overlord, hold fire." She paused before switching over the Black Knights channel "I want to talk to your commander now." Almost instantly Zero's face appeared on the Avalon's main screen again. "General Cornelia."

"Zero." Cornelia replied, her voice tinged with contempt. "Give me one good reason my gunship shouldn't destroy you."

As Cornelia spoke, Euphemia entered the bridge, stopping next to her brother when she saw who was on the screen. "How are you…?"

"Later." Lelouch replied as Zero began to speak.

"Because right now I am your best bet at securing a beach head." Zero replied. "Because right now both of us have the same goals. And Because, Unlike the Chinese Federation, My aspirations do not include Pendragon. Now, is their anything you would like us to do?"

Cornelia paused for a moment before replying. "Some of our forces are pinned down inside Fukuoka base. Help them and start clearing the base perimeter."

Zero gave a slight bow. "Very well, General." The Feed cut off, returning to normal map.

Cornelia watched as the Black Knights began to move, hoping she hadn't just made a mistake.

On the beach, Kallen's radio crackled to life. "Alright, there are twelve Britannian Marines pinned down inside the bases primary perimeter. Meet up with them and start clearing out the Sector."

"Got it." Kallen flipped over to the squad channel. "You heard the man, move it!" Across the beach, the Black Knights Frames moved up the beach, heading for the Chinese forces. Having been focused on the Britannians, the Chinese Frames were caught off guard as the Black Knights rolled up the beach and through their lines. The only group more surprised then the Chinese by the Black Knights actions were the Britannian Marines.

"Run that by me again." The Commander asked over the radio as he fired on the now disarrayed Chinese Forces. "Sounds like you said the Black Knights were HELPING us."

"They are." The Officer on the other end replied. "They're moving in to help you as we speak. Once they reach your position, they are to help you clear out and secure the base Perimeter."

The Commander stared at his radio for a minute. "And I'm not supposed to shoot them?"

"Direct order from Cornelia." The officer replied. "The Black Knights are on our side for once it seems."

The Commander shut off his radio. "The Black Knights? Working WITH Britannia? The world has gone mad…." Before the words could cross his lips, he spun around to see a Gun-Ru charging straight for him. No time to respond, the Commander braced for the impact. But it never came. After a few seconds passed, he opened his eyes to see what had happened. The Gun-ru was hanging in mid air, its armor literally bubbling. A half-second later it exploded, flaming debris washing over his Frame. Left standing in its place was a red Knightmare Frame he knew all to well from the intel reports and evening news. Over his radio a voice came forth.

"This is Zero Squadron. Are you 27th Air Marine Squadron?"

The commander fumbled with his radio for a moment before answering. "A-Affirmative." He paused for a moment. "Thanks I guess."

"No problem." The voice replied. Then the Red Frame turned toward some of the others. The Commander surveyed the scene. They had to have at least three dozen Frames. "First and Second Squadron, go secure a perimeter. Fourth and fifth, go keep our evac route clear. The Red Frame turned back to him. "You guys still good to go?"

"Ready and able…" The commander replied as he watched the Burai cut through the Chinese Frames. He couldn't help but grin. This might just work.


	3. Chapter 3

"_The Modern Knightmare Frame is the epitome of high-speed firepower. Agile, easily transported and highly mobile, the Knightmare Frame is able to quickly outmaneuver most other armored combat systems in existence. However it is lightly armored and usually lacks Long-range firepower. Despite what the evening news would tell you, the Knightmare Frame does not operate in a vacuum. This is part of the reason the Britannian Military is the dominant force on the planet – it can quickly bring in the support its frontline units need to survive." – William Atwater, Britannian Royal Military Academy. "The Army of an Empire – A History of the Britannian Armed Forces" Tachyon Press, 2018 _

The clothing was of fine quality, though nothing extravagant. The cloak, though worn, was in good condition – a sign of its craftsmanship. The outfit itself was wholly unremarkable – such outfits were common among the elite, though this particular style had fallen out of favor among people in the last few years.

Except for one.

Schneizel didn't even bother to look up from the table as his assistant entered the office. "What is it, Kanon?"

"Zero is inside the airship!"

The White Prince slowly turned to face the aide. He was breathing heavily, having apparently run all the way here from the bridge. After ordering the route to Shikoku, Schneizel had excused himself, leaving his sister to make the military preparations. Zero showing up, however… "Impossible."

"He's currently cornered on level 5 outside the guest quarters, but…"

"But what?"

"He's taken a hostage."

"Who?" Kanon's answer caught him off guard. _Clever_ . "Show me."

In minutes they pair had made their way down the three levels to the Guest quarters. The hallway was choked with security personnel, Suzaku keeping his charge at bay despite her attempt to get by. At the other end of the hall, just past Lelouch's room, stood Zero in all his caped glory, a pistol pressed against a captive Kallen's head. In the middle stood Lelouch, apparently trying to negotiate. Schneizel's expression darkened. _Very clever._

Lelouch took a step toward the masked vigilante. "Come on – surely we can reach some sort of compromise?" Lelouch's eyes darted from Zero to the redhead for a moment, fear flashing across his face. "You don't want to hurt her."

"Correction," Zero backed up another step, bumping into the pane of glass at the end of the hall. "You do not want her hurt; which is why I will now be leaving." He cocked the pistol before pointing behind him and firing. The glass exploded into a thousand fragments, the wind pulling them off into the distance as it grabbed at Zero's cape. Without another word, Zero simply stepped backwards, dropping through the new escape route.

The entire collection of marines, royal guards, and ship technicians rushed forward to watch the most notorious terrorist in decades fall to his death. Needless to say, they were surprised by the sudden appearance of a UH-34 Chariot, One of the more versatile of the Britannian VTOL models, outside the window. Designed to function as both a troop transport and a gunship, the 'Gator' as it is nicknamed due to its rough appearance, was a notoriously sturdy and effective platform. And currently, one had its snout cannon aimed squarely at the soldiers as a lone figure stood perched atop its cockpit canopy. Cape fluttering in the downdraft, Zero stood atop the craft, seemingly mocking the Britiannians. "It's been a pleasure gentlemen, but I must call it a night!" With a final dramatic bow, Zero dropped into the now open – and disturbingly empty – cockpit as the craft began to bank away from the Avalon. As it turned, it drew almost parallel to the Britannian airship, its rear Passenger cabin open to the outside the world.

Acting quickly, Lelouch leaped across the narrow gap, barely clinging on the cabin's slick metal floor, only the thin lip of VTOL's door letting him hang on as the craft pulled away. The gap rapidly grew, stopping any would-be copycats from following the prince.

Except for one.

Lelouch looked up in awe as Suzaku leapt the now 20 foot gap with ease, landing in the middle of the cabin before Lelouch could finish climbing up. "What are you doing here!"

Suzaku stared at him for a moment. "Uh….Saving you?"

"Perhaps you should be more worried with saving the girl." Both turned around to see Zero again, standing on the other side of the cabin, arm extended out over the over one hundred foot drop. At its end, holding on for dear life, was Kallen. The only thing holding her above the drop was her captor's vice-like grip around her collar and her own frantic clutching at his outstretched arm.

"Let her go!" Suzaku yelled, poised to strike at the first opening.

You could almost see Zero's smirk. "Poor choice of words." With a shriek, Kallen began to fall as Zero released her. In a flash, Suzaku was across the cabin, leaping out of the craft and grabbing the girls still outstretched arm before grabbing the Cabin's ledge himself. Above him, he watched Zero pause briefly above him before climbing back toward the cockpit.

"Lelouch!" Suzaku yelled over the downdraft. "Go after him!" After a quick nod, Lelouch began the perilous climb along the fuselage. Once he was sure he had made it around, Suzaku turned back the girl below him. "Hold on!"

"PULL ME UP!" She yelled, before she began shrieking as he tried to do so. "I'm slipping!"

"Hold on tighter!" Suzaku watched as the girl tried to gain a better hold on his arm, only to slip on the slick material of his uniform. The Pilot sighed. This would take a while.

On the other end of the craft, Lelouch was pulling himself into the rear cockpit, C.C. already in the front seat, her mask discarded and now resting on the small console of Electronic equipment in between the two seats. Lelouch simply stared at the green haired girl for a moment. "Would you mind telling me why you stole a Military VTOL?"

"How do you think I got here?" She continued to deftly manipulate the Crafts controls. "You have a plan on how to deal with our hitchhiker?"

"Not yet." Lelouch donned the mask before activating the communication suites. Within moments he had opened an encrypted line to the Ikaruga. The thought of the name still gave him cause for worry. A lottery to name the ship had been harmless enough, but only Tamaki would think it was clever to name a submarine after a bird.

He was snapped out of his rambling thoughts as the screen softly beeped, indicating it was ready for transmission. With a final check of his mask, he opened a lien to the Ship's Bridge.

Ten kilometers of the islands coast and two hundred meters below the ocean's surface, Kyroshiro Tohdoh and the rest of the Black Knights top brass gathered on the bridge, brought together by the highest level flash message within their organization. After a brief moment, the leaders face materialized, his iconic mask dominating the screen. "Gentlemen"

Tohdoh quickly saluted. "Sir. We are currently tracking a large military force of the coast of Kyushu. Initial scans indicate that it is some sort of invasion force."

"That would be the Chinese." Zero replied, surprising most of the people in the room. "Begin preparations to deploy a counterattack against the primary landing forces."

"Sir, that would be suicide." The General warned. "Current reports put the Chinese forces at over 50,000. I believe it would be more beneficial to assist the Chinese and…"

"And help them further subjugate the Japanese?" Zero finished for him. "Further garner the scorn of the Britiannians and turn our backs on those we have vowed to defend? No. We will not assist the Chinese, for that is who they are – the Chinese. No matter what flag they carry, that is who they are. And they have one intention – conquest. We will defend our land, and we will stop them."

"That's insane!" Tamaki, unofficial head of Internal Recreation Services, comments. "I know you good at this whole 'Insane chessmaster gambit' thing, but this would take a freaking miracle to win on our own!"

"That is why we will not be fighting on our own." What little background chatter there had been died. "You will rendezvous with C.C., Kallen, and the package at Extraction point R-2 and proceed to Kyushu in order to prepare to assist the Britiannians in reclaiming the island."

A stunned silence settled over the bridge as the order sank in. after a moment, somebody in the back managed a dumbfounded 'what?'

"Once you are in position, you will await my signal. You will then deploy our forces south of Saga and operate in coordination with the Britannian forces. We will steal their show, gain support among the greater populous, and prevent the conquest of our lands in one fell swoop. Understood?"

"YES SIR!" The confirmation echoed through the ship and across the small radio. Lelouch grinned.

"Very well. one final thing. In a few minutes you will receive a video file. Do not touch it until I order you, is that clear?" A quick confirmation. "Excellent. You have your orders." He cut the connection before switching over to recording mode. Once the video was recorded and transmitted, he handed the mask back to C.C. "I believe this is my stop, miss."

Back in the cabin, Suzaku had finally managed to pull Kallen back up, and both were now trying to catch their breath. "Alright, what are you up to?"

"How should I know?" Kallen replied. "One moment the masked wonder is telling me to climb in back, the next moment I'm hanging on for dear life."

Suzaku paused for a moment as he considered his next question carefully. "Does Lelouch know?"

Kallen stared at him for a moment. "Does Lelouch know what?" Outside, a familiar cliff face drifted by, a small research base built up around its base. Outside it, the Avalon had touched down as people franticly bustled about its cargo ramp, people and equipment loading into the ships gaping cargo bay.

"That you work for Zero." Before Kallen was forced to answer the question, Lelouch came back around from the front, seemingly in a hurry. Suzaku was quickly to his feet. "Lelouch, what are you…?"

"DOWN!" Suzaku was quickly pushed aside; a moment before a caped figure came swinging around from the front, a well-placed kick sending Lelouch reeling as the land below gave way to ocean. The masked leader landed with ease, in contrast to Lelouch, who was now hanging on, once again, for dear life. Regaining his footing, Lelouch charged Zero as the Avalon once again took to the air.

The soldiers onboard the Avalon were greeted by the most peculiar sight of a formerly thought dead prince fighting a masked terrorist leader while on board a stolen VTOL. Most of the bridge crew was watching the fight via, cheering every time they thought Lelouch managed to get a hit in. 'thought' being the primary word – even with their sensors, at this range the image was grainy. Despite the poor quality, most could tell that the Prince was on the losing side of the fight. Cornelia had been in the middle of coordinating the Emergency personnel recall as Schneizel contacted the mainland and began coordinating the counterassault when they finally caught up with the stolen VTOL. It had begun circling over the excavation site, its circular route currently taking it on a low pass over the open ocean. While now an easy target, the fact that three Britannian citizens – including her brother – were on board prevented them from simply shooting it down. All she could now was hope for a change in the situation.

The pair grappled inside the cabin, and it soon became apparent that the Prince was losing. What wasn't apparent was Lelouch's grin. "I do believe you've been practicing."

'Zero' shrugged. "What do you think I'm doing while you're off playing general?" Zero dodged an attempt at another jab as Lelouch was pushed closer to the edge. "You wanted it to look good, right?"

"Of course."

"Then how's this?" With a flourish, Zero gave one final kick and sent Lelouch flying out of the cabin and out over the ocean.

Up until this point, the plan had worked flawlessly. He had made contact with his forces, and all the pieces were in place for the assault and picking up the package and its technology. Most importantly, he had managed to make contact with the Black Knights and remove Kallen from the Avalon without violating either of their covers to a dangerous degree. Everything was going as he has expected.

Except for his escape.

The original plan was that, after 'fighting' Zero, he would be thrown into the ocean and then picked up by the Avalon. Unfortunately, he had forgotten that he would be doing this from a vehicle traveling at a not insignificant speed, translating into a fairly hard landing has he crashed into the ocean. Aboard the Avalon, Cornelia watched her brother fall into the ocean and crash into the sea before turning to the crew. "Pick him up NOW!" Without out another word, the entire crew set to work to ready the ship for a sea rescue with a speed only the fear of a slow death could muster.

As the Avalon dropped toward Lelouch's landing spot, Zero watched for a moment before turning to her next subject. "Now, here's what we're…" Zero stopped upon the realization that Kallen and Suzaku were gone. "Where the hell did they go?"

Lelouch sputtered, coughing up sea water as he was pulled aboard the Avalon while the ship's crew took turns to either comment on his fight with Zero or his spectacular fall into the South Pacific. Lelouch was paying little attention to them, more worried about the stabs of pain he felt every time he moved, when the entire crowd suddenly went silent. He looked up to see Cornelia towering over him, only her eyes indicating the fury that was hiding behind that calm mask of expression. Euphemia followed behind her, worry written across her face but unwilling to cut off whatever her sister might have to say. Lelouch reflexively backed away from the woman. "Cornelia."

"You, of all people," her voice was surprisingly level even as some of her anger bled through into her voice. "Were the last one I'd have expected to pull some half-assed stunt like that."

"It seemed like a good idea at the time." Lelouch responded with a shrug. This only seemed to further foul Cornelia's mood.

"Jump onto a moving aircraft?" Cornelia asked. "That qualifies as a good idea? I don't know if you're trying to prove something or simply of a hero complex, but you will not be trying anything of that nature again. Understood?" Lelouch quickly nodded, and after a moment she let out a sigh. "Get to Medical. I want you in the CIC in five minutes." Without another word, she turned and walked away as Euphie quickly rushed forward, helping Lelouch back to his feet.

As the crowd dispersed and the two of them began to make their way to the infirmary, Euphie turned to her brother. "You didn't jump onto that VTOL to save Kallen. What are you planning?"

"I…" Lelouch winced as a stab of pain shot through his ankle. Okay, Cornelia was right – not a good idea. "I needed to get Kallen off the airship without arousing too much suspicion. So I had one of my associates 'kidnap' her."

"Associates?" Euphie echoed. "Does that mean….?"

"No, I am Zero, I assure you." Lelouch replied, already knowing her question. "She just fills in on occasion." The pair had finally arrived in the infirmary. Euphemia helped him take a seat on the gurney before she started looking for some dry clothes for him. Lelouch hardly noticed as she dropped a spare uniform into his lap, his brow furrowed in thought.

"Lelouch?"

"What?" Lelouch looked up with a jerk, almost surprised by his sister presence. "What is – ah, thank you." Carefully, Lelouch lowered himself off the gurney a limped over to the other side of the small room, drawing the curtain before he began to change.

"Is something wrong?" Euphie took a seat as she waited for her brother to finish. She was still trying to deal with who he was, but she would keep his secret for now – he had to have a good reason for doing all this, right? But to see him distracted like this… she didn't think it could mean anything good.

"It shouldn't have worked."

"What?"

"It shouldn't have worked" Lelouch repeated. "Schneizel should have never believed my story. He's not a fool. Out attire, our very presence on this island – any of it should have caused us to be detained. Instead, he puts us up like royalty."

"Well, you are royalty." Euphie replied. "A lot of the family was quite dismayed when they were told about your death." It had been an especially hard hit for some, like her older sister, with his disappearance so soon after Marianne's death. With them gone, nothing remained of the once legendary Pilot except for the occasional grisly story told in hushed voices around the dinner table about her assassination. "A large portion of the court will be overjoyed about your return; they probably wouldn't care if you were the Whitechapel killer reborn."

"And without solid evidence, he'd just tarnish his own reputation." Lelouch grinned. Schneizel should be familiar with that little rule of Palace politics. Just last year, the 53rd prince had accused Schneizel of privately running unregistered biological experimentation out of Yucatan. Unfortunately for him, all his evidence 'mysteriously' disappeared. With no evidence, his case fell apart and his reputation quickly took a nose dive. By the next Imperial Congress, He was removed from the official line of succession. Last he heard, he was drowning himself in alcohol somewhere in the French Riviera. He quickly finished dressing before stepping out from behind the curtain, now wearing a pressed white uniform, not unlike the one he had seen several of the technicians wearing. "My dear sister, I think you might be right." He began heading for the door before pausing and turning back to Euphie. "Really though, the Whitechapel killer?"

Euphemia began to follow her brother out of the room. "He also had a flair for the dramatic, although I don't think he was the scheming type." She took a moment to glance out the nearby window. "Speaking of which, you seemed surprised by Suzaku."

"I hadn't expected him to respond like that." Lelouch shrugged. "But no matter, I'm sure it's under control."

Zero dodged another kick from Suzaku as he ducked into the now open cockpit, the Knightmare pilot in hot pursuit. Kallen meanwhile was yelling at both of them as she desperately tried to override the VTOL's autopilot. "Are you two OUT OF YOUR MINDS! You're going to get us all killed! If you want to fight, fight in back!" She let out a groan as the fighting pair ignored her. "When the hell are we going to land?"

"Once I get rid of this hitchhiker." Zero replied, dodging another kick. "Which might take a while." Standing precariously around the cockpit, Suzaku continued to strike out against his masked opponent. Every kick pushed Zero back a little further, shrinking his already small footing. With the wind tugging on the cape and threatened to send him plummeting down below, where once again the green canopy of the islands vegetation sped past. The strike were getting harder to dodge, and he was getting slower. It was only a matter of time before he was struck. Then, it happened. With a final sudden strike, Zero's mask went flying as he back pedaled, momentum carrying him inexorably over the edge.

"No!" Suzaku shot forward as he watched the now unmasked figure begin falling towards his demise. In an instant, he surged forward, grabbing hold of his collar to stop him from falling nay further backward as the wind causing his long green hair to billow around him.

Wait….Long green hair?

Suzaku stared at the person he had just saved. A young girl, probably no older then himself, staring back at him with possibly the smuggest expression he had ever seen on somebody. His stunned expression only seemed to make her smugger. "Surprised?"

Suzaku just continued to gape at the girl. First at Shinjuku, then Narita and now here… "You're….Zero?"

"No" she replied. "But close enough." Before he could respond, she vaulted over him, using his arm for leverage as she cartwheels over his head and lands in the middle of the cockpit. Suzaku quickly delivers another kick towards her. The girl deftly dodged the strike as the foot continued on its arc straight into the flight controls. The girl crouched down to get a better look at the damage. "That was the only thing keeping us in the air. Nice job breaking it hero."

"Well, now what!" Kallen yelled over the myriad of warning klaxons an emergency alarms.

"Well, we were supposed land here anyway." The green haired girl was strangely calm as she looked towards the quickly approaching ground. "I guess our landing will just be a little rougher." Without another word, she jumped into the cockpit with Kallen and pulled the yellow-striped handle at the seats base. In an instant, the cockpit was wrapped in an inflatable shell of Kevlar. Spinning around, Suzaku saw the ground was now only seconds away. Acting fast, he leapt into the forward cockpit and pulled the lever near the base of the seat.

Then, darkness.

Aboard the Avalon, Lelouch walked into the darkened CIC. The Command Information Center, unlike the bridge with its command screens and wide view for tactical command, the CIC was deep inside the armored hull and fully equipped for commanding strategic operations. With walls lined with consoles manned by technicians, at its center was the Electronic Command Information System, or ECIS. Better known by its nickname 'the chessboard', the ECIS provided a consolidated view of the battlefield, integrating Satellite telemetry, Factshpere scans, and up-to-the-second readings from every friendly observation post within range. Commanded with an extensive communications suite, it granted the commander the type of real-time command and control capabilities that had made Britannia the most formidable military force on the planet.

Currently, Cornelia was presiding over the table that served as one of the few sources of illumination in the room as the Volumetric display showed the assault along the islands, the Chinese forces stringed along the Northern Coastline from Nagasaki to Ooita. Cornelia looked up from the screen briefly as he entered. "Good, you're here." She gestured to a spot on the right of the table of him to stand. "Zero's VTOL just nosedived into the forest outside the dig site. Transponders indicate emergency capsule deployment and personnel have been deployed."

Lelouch looked towards his sister for a moment. "Trying to comfort me or trying to catch Zero?"

"Both" She briefly brought up a map of the island before dismissing it again. "With our luck, the bastard probably survived."

"If he survived, then so did Kallen." Lelouch replied before turning to the map of Kyushu. "What our status?"

"The Chinese federation's managed to open up a corridor across the Korea Strait." As she spoke, a swath of red appeared on the map, connecting Kyushu to the Korean Peninsula. "They managed to take over Tsushima before we knew what was happening." In the middle of the straight, a thin strip of land was highlighted." Anti-ship missile emplacements here…" A series of dots appeared across the island. "Are keeping our Naval forces out of strike range."

"Sub-sonic?" Lelouch asked.

"I wish." Cornelia brought up a date file, showing what looked like a cargo container propped up on stilts. Both ends were covered in a grid, dividing it into 8 cells. "Never seen this particular type before, but looks like a variation on their SSM-87's. Hypersonic and longer range then what we've seen from the Chinese before – they took out one of our patrol frigates at 50 Kilometers. Their last platform had less half that range. These fly low, and fly fast - But that's not the problem."

"Then what is the problem?" Lelouch inquired. 

"The weather" Cornelia tapped another control and a series yellow boxes – ten in total – appeared along Kyushu's Northern shoreline. "These represent our current forces on the island – less than 20,000 men, only half of it Knightmare Frames. Most of the remaining half is light infantry. The Chinese have already landed 50,000 men on the island, and more than 30,000 of that is Knightmare Frames. With the bridges cut, the only way across is by sea or air, but the storm's preventing us from deploying landing forces."

Lelouch paused for a moment. "And Air?"

Cornelia pressed other button, and another series marks appeared. "They deployed a full SEAD operation ahead of the initial landing and slipped in under the radar. The Early warning systems in the area were out-dated – the radar ceiling was too high." She grew more angry as she spoke, as if the very thought of the situation was enough to infuriate her. Few people in the room had any doubt that somebody was going to get fired that night. "They landed their own air defense systems in the first wave. Our own Weasels can't get close enough." Wild Weasels – the general name for Anti-air defense aircraft, named for the original anti-SAM aircraft project several decades ago. The general strategy was simple – One aircraft flies in and causes the Anti-air missile batteries to activate, allowing a second aircraft to target them. Unfortunately, the strategy doesn't work when the target can shoot you down from beyond your range. "Without air control, we can't fly in any forces."

"How long before we can bring in something that CAN take out the anti-air?"

"Meteorology's reporting 12 hours until the seas are calm enough to safely deploy the fleet." Cornelia explained. "Once they're in place, the Avalon can start calling in the strikes."

"Why can't the Avalon start launching strikes now?" Lelouch asked. "I was under the impression that this was, in fact, a warship."


End file.
